My Hands Are Tied Idiom American Expressions and American Idioms

This database is a comprehensive collection of all the American idioms and slang available. American Idioms are many and varied. We hope you enjoy our collection. We are adding more all the time. .

My hands are tied What does My hands are tied mean?	If your hands are tied, you are unable to act for some reason.
	Some Random Idioms
blue in the face What does "blue in the face" mean?	to be exhausted and speechless	You can argue with him until you are blue in the face but you will never change his mind.

contemplate one's navel What does "contemplate one's navel" mean?	spend a lot of time thinking about one's own problems rather than being concerned about more important things	I spent the summer contemplating my navel and didn't do a thing.
open with (something) What does "open with (something)" mean?	to start out with something	The convention opened with a speech from the president of our company.
have the Midas touch What does "have the Midas touch" mean?	to have the ability to make money easily (King Midas turned everything that he touched into gold)	My uncle has the Midas touch and every business that he starts makes a lot of money.
arise from What does "arise from" mean?	to originate from, to be caused by	Fires often arise from people not being careful.
armpit of (somewhere) What does "armpit of (somewhere)" mean?	a place that is the ugliest or worst place in a particular area	The small city is the armpit of the country and nobody wants to go there to work.
cut both ways What does "cut both ways" mean?	to serve both sides of an argument	What the man said cuts both ways and we should carefully think about it.

show one's face What does "show one's face" mean?	to appear	I do not think that my friend will show his face tonight.
Squeaky wheel gets the grease What does "Squeaky wheel gets the grease" mean?	When people say that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, they mean that the person who complains or protests the loudest attracts attention and service.
by the week What does "by the week" mean?	one week at a time	We rented the car by the week.
happen upon (someone or something) What does "happen upon (someone or something)" mean?	meet someone or find something unexpectedly	I happened upon a very valuable book when I was cleaning up my grandfather's house.

American Idioms and Expressions

My Hands Are Tied Idiom